Steam engines are well known in the art. For these engines a burner heats a boiler containing water. The water is evaporated into water vapor and thence into steam. The steam is routed to an engine where the steam expands thereby producing mechanical energy. In a reciprocating steam engine the steam drives a piston which is connected to a drive shaft in a manner similar to an internal combustion engine. The expanded steam is exhausted from the engine, condensed into water and routed back to the boiler for reuse. It is known in the art that the power and efficiency of a steam engine increases as the temperature of the engine increases.